


For Want of a Nail

by Download



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, For Want of a Nail, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-03
Updated: 2019-04-03
Packaged: 2020-01-04 06:05:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18337676
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Download/pseuds/Download
Summary: A small change changes everything





	For Want of a Nail

**Author's Note:**

> I've been sick the last few days. I came up with this while trying to sleep in a strange and confusing haze. It hasn't been proof read and won't be continued I think.

**Untitled**

Darth Vader turned towards the holotank figure of one of the officers in the 501st.

“Lord Vader, we tracked the droids from a Jawa sandcrawler. They were sold to a couple, an Owen and Beru Lars. They claim the droids ran off”.

Under his helmet, Lord Vader frowned. The Force had a strange way of linking things together. He hated the miserable little sandball of Tatooine, but it seemed he kept finding a way back here.

“Dispose of them, Lieutenant,” he ordered.

“Yes, sir!”

As the lieutenant drew his side arm the audio on the holo was interrupted by Owen Lars.

“Damn you to the Corellian Hells, Skywalker!” he shouted defiantly.

Vader’s eyes narrowed.

“Belay that order, Lieutenant,” he quickly rasped out.

His mind flew at a mile a second. There were very few people left alive who could link that name to him. They could be counted on one hand and each was near the top of the Empire’s most wanted lists.

“Who told you that name?”

Through the holo he could see the lieutenant turn toward where Owen and Beru were presumably detained. As the seconds counted down the lieutenant drew his blaster back before pistol whipping someone off-holo.

“You will answer Lord Vader’s question!”

He could hear Lars spit blood at the lieutenant’s feet.

“You will detain the Lars at your present location,” he ordered, cutting the Lieutenant off from pistol whipping Lars again. “I will be coming down to personally interrogate them.”

With no small amount of savage glee, Vader could swear the force whispered the name _Kenobi_.

o0o0o

As the holo-figure of Skywalker blinked out, Owen felt true regret on their knees with cuff around their wrists. Turning to his wife, her face streaked with tears, he knew he had never wanted to draw the attention of him.

It had been a momentary lapse in judgement, a bubbling anger that he had let out, and then he had made the terrible mistake of naming him. They may not have been blood, but they were the closest thing Skywalker had to family, they had spent nineteen years looking after his son, and he didn’t even hesitate to order their deaths.

And for that he had likely doomed Luke. He maintained no illusion he could keep a secret away from a monster like Vader.

He could only hope at this point that Luke, alone in the desert, would not come back, that he would realise the danger the Empire posed to him, and run for his life. The Imperial Super Star destroyer moved into position above their home.

o0o0o

Looking from his home he could see the hulking shape of the massive Imperial ship. Behind him, Luke was staring at the hologram of Leia and in the distance, he could feel the ball of rage, pain and hate that was Vader.

To loiter for so long, it was clear Vader had figured something out. Obi-wan didn’t know what yet, but it was certainly not good news. He would have to convince Luke to run with him towards Mos Eisley, but he wasn’t confident they could make it there and board a transport safely with Vader personally on their tail.

Owen and Beru were dead or would soon be. He wasn’t sure how to break it to Luke.


End file.
